ICS AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION:
A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
ABOUT THE WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
The International College of Surgeons (ICS) is in official relations with the World Wealth Organization (WHO) as a Non-Govermental Organization (NGO)
ICS AS A HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION
"[The] College was to be, not merely a surgical society, in which membership would be a coveted mark of distinction for a few fortunate men...but also a force making for International understanding and good will and peace”
—Max Thorek
Dr. Thorek saw the International College of Surgeons not as a body for self-aggrandizement, but one that fosters lifelong learning and giving back to the community of the world. The function of the College is education, to teach the young with the knowledge and experience of the old. Fellows would not be just teacher or student, but both in all things they did and in all places they met. It was a source of inspiration and encouragement for all surgeons around the world, and a channel for good on Earth.
THE PICTURE TODAY
Since the 1970s, the humanitarian work of ICS was recognized by the WHO and other United Nations agencies. Under the auspices of the WHO, a surgical team's program was launched in conjunction with ICS. Today, there are many educational, humanitarian, and cross-functional programs led by ICS and the WHO together around the globe. Missions happen regularly to areas underserved or unserved by the skills our Fellows possess, furthering the purpose of the International College of Surgeons and of the World Health Organization together.
This relationship between ICS and the WHO is unique in the world, with the special NGO designation bestowed only on the International College of Surgeons among all professional societies around the globe. No other surgical organization has the same level of recognition or responsibility with both the World Health Organization and the United Nations as ICS. Together, we've built a legacy over the past fifty years of collaboration that has fulfilled the dreams of Dr. Thorek and continues to bring our surgeons and our Fellows to the forefront of humanitarian medicine.
YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP
MEMBERS
HUMANITARIAN MISSIONS
PATIENTS
NEXT STEPS
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